Tang Zhengyang's injury did not extend to his bones, so he was ready to leave the hospital after only a few weeks of recuperation. Although the doctor had suggested he stay a little longer, there was no way staying in the hospital could beat staying at home.
Since Tang Zhengyang was returning, Tang Yu naturally couldn't continue staying at the Yin family's home. While packing her belongings, Tang Yu paused and hesitated when she saw her toiletries in the bathroom.
"You don't have to take those with you, right?"
While Tang Yu was hesitating about whether she should take the toiletries with her, Yin Zhao-an's voice suddenly came from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Yin Zhao-an standing by the door with a gloomy expression.
"...Oh, okay."
Tang Yu wasn't thinking of taking the toiletries because she was trying to take advantage of the Yin family's kindness. She simply felt that since these were personal items she had used before, now that she wasn't going to use them anymore, she should throw them away…
Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an inwardly celebrated her success at keeping her Tang-Tang's toiletries. With this, she'd have an excuse to have her Tang-Tang stay over the next time an opportunity arose.
When Tang Yu walked over to the bedroom door, she turned around to take another look at the room she had left her mark on, mixed feelings filling her heart.
Goodbye…
However, before Tang Yu could reach the staircase, someone pulled her hand.
With slightly reddened eyes, Yin Zhao-an pleaded, "Tang-Tang, can't you stay for another night?"
Tang Yu broke out in a cold sweat at Yin Zhao-an's question. Stay for another night? I'm going to die from suffocation if I stay for another night!
Throughout the past several weeks Tang Yu had slept in Yin Zhao-an's room, Yin Zhao-an always would go to sleep while tightly embracing Tang Yu. Not a single night did Tang Yu get to spend free from Yin Zhao-an's clutches. Even though there were two quilts prepared, one would always be on the floor when morning arrived…
Initially, Wang Zhen would pick up the dropped quilt and return it to the bed every morning. However, at some point, she simply took it away, leaving only one quilt for the two of them. She even jokingly said to Tang Yu, "I think you should just treat An-An as your quilt."
"I have to go back," Tang Yu said as she shook off Yin Zhao-an's hand and walked downstairs with her belongings.
Yu Wanrou was already waiting downstairs. After helping Tang Yu with her luggage, Yu Wanrou sincerely thanked the Yin husband and wife, "I cannot thank you enough for taking care of Little Yu throughout these past few weeks."
"Don't mention it. Little Yu is like an angel, so taking care of her was no trouble at all," Wang Zhen said, a loving smile on her face as she rubbed Tang Yu on the head.
"We'll be taking our leave, then," Yu Wanrou said. Then, she turned to Yin Zhao-an and added, "Make sure to come over to our house and play when you are free, An-An."
Yin Zhao-an fervently nodded in response. Then, while sobbing, she grabbed Tang Yu's sleeve and said, "I'll miss you, Tang-Tang."
The corners of Tang Yu's mouth twitched when she saw Yin Zhao-an's overdramatic behavior. Then, she said, "We still need to go to school tomorrow."
In other words, they'd be seeing each other tomorrow morning.
Oh! That's right!
Yin Zhao-an awkwardly scratched her head and revealed a silly smile.
…
When Tang Yu arrived home, she saw her father tinkering with food in the kitchen. The bandages on his shoulder could not keep Tang Zhengyang away from good food.
After putting the car keys into her handbag, Yu Wanrou briefly glanced at the person in the kitchen before carrying her daughter's belongings upstairs. While going up the stairs, she said to her daughter, "Your room might have become a little dusty after being left empty for so many days. Little Yu, can you clean it by yourself?"
"I can do it by myself," Tang Yu said. Then, she hesitantly looked downstairs and asked, "Will Daddy be fine in the kitchen by himself?"
Yu Wanrou simply smiled and shook her head, indicating to Tang Yu that she should just ignore Tang Zhengyang.
…
It had already been close to a month since Tang Yu had set foot into her bedroom. There was even a visible layer of dust accumulated on her desk.
While Tang Yu started busying herself around the room, her mother went back downstairs after placing her clothes into her clothes cabinet, probably going to the kitchen to check on her father.
As soon as the fine dust on the desk came into contact with water, they instantly merged to form dark gray water droplets on the waxed tabletop, which was then absorbed by the rag in Tang Yu's hands.
Tang Yu's mind spun rapidly while her body mechanically cleaned her bedroom. There were three things she had set to do after getting a second chance at life. Fortunately, she had successfully concluded her first task, which relieved her anxious heart significantly. However, she did not let her guard drop since she still needed to pay attention to two other events.
Tang Yu and her mother had moved out of the military compound after her father was killed in action. They bought a small apartment in a densely populated urban area. From that point onward, Yu Wanrou also started to leave on business trips more and more frequently.
Meanwhile, whenever Yu Wanrou left on a business trip, Tang Yu would naturally be entrusted to the Yin family.
On a certain day during the third year after moving into the apartment, sirens blared across the urban area, and billowing smoke rose all the way into the clouds. The peaceful city instantly became noisy, and ignorant passersby started walking in a general direction with looks of excitement and curiosity on their faces.
Tang Yu felt uneasy when she saw the commotion, her body subconsciously following the crowd. However, before she could get anywhere, Yin Zhao-an stopped her and said, "Don't be a busybody. There should be a fire there."
Tang Yu understood Yin Zhao-an's logic, but the direction the crowd was moving was...
Her home!
The panic in Tang Yu's heart was infinitely magnified when she came to this realization. Immediately, she pushed Yin Zhao-an away and stumbled toward the thick smoke. Then, she squeezed through the crowd with great difficulty and saw several firemen giving emergency first aid to a dying woman on the ground.
The dying woman was scorched black. When the woman briefly opened her eyes and saw Tang Yu collapsing to the ground, she opened her deformed lips, but no sound came out of them.
However, Tang Yu heard it.
"Live on," the woman said.
Yu Wanrou was cremated without a funeral. After retrieving Yu Wanrou's ashes, Yin Changcheng and Wang Zhen bought a piece of land in the cemetery and buried her ashes there.
On that day, Tang Yu knelt in front of her mother's grave while Yin Zhao-an hugged her from behind, gently patting her on the back while soothing her.
While crying, Tang Yu said, "My world is gone."
In response, Yin Zhao-an said, "I will be your world from now on."
Tang Yu took those words seriously.
Ultimately, she was left to die in a damp basement, her body covered in wounds and her pride in ruins.